Posting Group PSLE guide: Groups 1, 2 and 3 and S1 posting for 2026

Posting Groups are the three bands, 1, 2 and 3, that MOE in Singapore uses to post each PSLE student to a secondary school. A PSLE Score of 4 to 20 is Posting Group 3, 23 to 24 is Posting Group 2 and 26 to 30 (with AL7 or better in English and Maths) is Posting Group 1. Scores of 21, 22 and 25 let the family choose between two groups. The group sets the starting level for most subjects in Sec 1, not the child's whole secondary path.

This guide explains what each Posting Group means, the boundary rules, the subject levels each group starts with, the S1 posting process step by step and the dates for the 2026 PSLE cohort. Every fact is from MOE or SEAB, checked as of 7 Nov 2026.

What are Posting Groups 1, 2 and 3?

Posting Groups are the bands MOE uses to admit Primary 6 students into secondary school since streaming ended with the 2024 Secondary 1 cohort. A child's PSLE Score places them in Posting Group 1, 2 or 3. MOE says the groups are used only to admit students and to guide the subject levels they start Secondary 1 with. They do not label the child for four years.

MOE's Full SBB FAQ is direct about the history. The three groups "map to the PSLE Score ranges" of the old Normal (Technical), Normal (Academic) and Express streams. What changed is what happens after posting:

Once in school, students from all three groups sit together in mixed form classes. They spend about a third of curriculum time on six Common Curriculum subjects together: Art, Character and Citizenship Education, Design and Technology, Food and Consumer Education, Music and Physical Education. For English, Maths, Science, Mother Tongue and the Humanities, each child attends the G1, G2 or G3 class that matches their level in that subject.

Why keep three groups at all? MOE says it studied a single group and found it would give every school one cut-off point, so some schools would admit only G3 students and others only G1 students. Three groups keep each school's intake mixed across a range of PSLE Scores.

Source: MOE, Full SBB FAQ.

Which PSLE Score puts my child in each Posting Group?

MOE sets the Posting Group by the total PSLE Score, from 4 (best) to 32. Scores of 4 to 20 go to Posting Group 3 and 23 to 24 to Posting Group 2. Scores of 26 to 30 go to Posting Group 1 if the child has AL7 or better in both English and Mathematics. A score of 21 or 22 may choose Group 2 or 3, and 25 may choose Group 1 or 2.

Source: MOE, What are Posting Groups (updated 1 Oct 2026) and MOE score calculator.

Four boundary rules decide most borderline cases:

• The English and Maths rule applies only to Posting Group 1. MOE's score calculator says a student needs a PSLE Score of 26 to 30 "and" AL7 or better in both English and Mathematics to go through Posting Group 1. A child with 27 and AL8 in English does not qualify for any group.
• Scores of 21, 22 and 25 are choice bands. The family picks one group before submitting school choices. MOE's calculator does not add an English or Maths condition to these bands.
• Foundation subjects count as AL6, AL7 or AL8. For posting, Foundation grade A counts as AL6, B as AL7 and C as AL8. So a Foundation B in Maths still meets the AL7 rule for Posting Group 1, but a Foundation C does not.
• Students exempted from Mother Tongue get an assigned MTL score between AL6 and AL8, based on peers with similar English, Maths and Science results. That assigned score is added in to find the Posting Group.

MOE reports that 98.5% of the 2025 cohort of 37,926 students were assessed suitable for secondary school. The rest may repeat the PSLE, or apply to Assumption Pathway School or NorthLight School with their primary school principal's recommendation (MOE, 2025 PSLE results).

To check where a set of ALs lands, add them up in our calculator below. How each AL is graded is in our PSLE AL scores guide.

What happens with a PSLE Score of 21, 22 or 25?

A child with 21 or 22 may choose Posting Group 3 or Posting Group 2, and a child with 25 may choose Posting Group 2 or Posting Group 1. MOE asks families to pick the group that suits the child's learning pace and abilities. The chosen group applies to all six school choices, and it also decides which schools the S1 Portal lets you select.

What the choice changes:

Three questions help most families decide:

1. How did each subject go? A child with 22 made up of AL5, AL5, AL6 and AL6 starts two subjects at G3 even in Posting Group 2. In Group 3 they would take all four at G3 from day one.
2. Which schools are realistic? A school's Group 3 cut-off point may be 20, so a score of 22 cannot reach it through Group 3, while its Group 2 places might be open. Check each school's past range for both groups in SchoolFinder.
3. How does the child cope with load? Under Full SBB a child can move a subject up a level later, so the less demanding group is not a dead end.

Source: MOE, S1 Posting eligibilities and choices (updated 14 Oct 2026).

Which subject levels does each Posting Group start with in Sec 1?

Posting Group 3 students take every subject at G3, the most demanding level. Posting Group 2 students take most subjects at G2, and Posting Group 1 students take most subjects at G1. Students in Groups 2 and 1 can start English, Maths, Science and Mother Tongue at a higher level from Sec 1 if they did well in that subject at the PSLE, judged by its own AL.

Source: MOE, secondary school experience under Full SBB and MOE, 2025 PSLE results.

MOE's own worked example: a student with a PSLE Score of 23 and AL5 in Maths is posted through Posting Group 2 and takes most subjects at G2, but can take Maths at G3 from the start of Sec 1. In 2025, about 65% of students eligible for Groups 1 and 2 could take at least one subject at a more demanding level.

Two more starting rules matter:

• Higher Mother Tongue. From the 2026 Secondary 1 cohort, Higher Mother Tongue depends on the Mother Tongue result alone (AL1 or AL2, or a Distinction or Merit in the Higher paper), not on the overall PSLE Score or Posting Group.
• Mother Tongue at a less demanding level. A student taking most subjects at G3 with AL6 in Mother Tongue (or Foundation A) may take G2 Mother Tongue. With AL7 to AL8 (or Foundation B to C), G1 or G2 Mother Tongue is possible.

How G1, G2 and G3 differ, and how they show on the certificate, is in our Full SBB G1, G2 and G3 guide.

How can my child take a subject at a more demanding level?

There are two ways. At the start of Sec 1, the PSLE AL for each of English, Maths, Science and Mother Tongue decides whether that subject can start above the Posting Group's usual level. After that, schools can move a subject up a level based on the child's results in secondary school and a holistic check that they can cope with the subject and the overall load.

MOE told Parliament on 5 August 2026 that it gives schools guidelines with subject-specific academic criteria, and that "Schools have the discretion to make the final decision". Moves can go the other way too. A student may drop a subject to a less demanding level to manage load, then move it up again later. Taking all subjects one level up, once called a lateral transfer, is still available.

Source: MOE parliamentary reply, 5 Aug 2026 and MOE, Full SBB FAQ.

Does the Posting Group decide JC, poly or ITE later?

No. MOE says Posting Groups "will not shape or define" a student's secondary experience or post-secondary pathway. What counts later is the mix of subjects and subject levels the student ends up taking, and the grades in them. The national exam from 2027, the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC), shows each subject with its G1, G2 or G3 level and no Posting Group.

MOE gives this example. A student who entered through Posting Group 2 can move subjects up to G3 over the years. If they take enough G3 subjects to compute an L1R5 and get a gross L1R5 of 20 or better (and meet the subject grade rules), they qualify for junior college. From the 2028 admissions exercise, JC entry moves to L1R4 of 16 or better. Our SEC explainer covers the new exam, and our PSE 2028 guide covers the new admissions exercise.

How does S1 posting work, step by step?

S1 posting places each child in a secondary school by three things: their PSLE Score within their Posting Group, the order of their school choices, and the vacancies in those schools. Better scores are considered first. A child picks up to 6 schools on the S1 Portal within 7 calendar days of results day, and MOE releases the posting results in December.

The S1 Option Form and the Eligibility Letter are personalised to your child and come with the result slip. Choices are submitted online through the S1 Portal, open 24 hours during the window, or on paper at the primary school on weekdays from 9am to 4.30pm. You can change choices any time before the deadline.

For the results-day checklist, proxy collection and how to talk to your child, see our PSLE results 2026 guide.

Sources: MOE, S1 Posting (updated 4 Nov 2026), MOE, school choices (updated 1 Oct 2026) and MOE, how posting works.

What are the tie-breakers in S1 posting?

When two or more students with the same PSLE Score compete for the last places in a school, MOE applies three tie-breakers in order. First is citizenship: Singapore Citizens, then Permanent Residents, then International Students. Second is choice order: the child who ranked the school higher wins. Last is computerised balloting, used only when score, citizenship and choice order are all equal.

MOE's example: Bryan and Mary have the same PSLE Score and are both citizens. They compete for the last place in School B. Bryan listed School B first and Mary listed it second, so Bryan gets the place.

Choice order became a tie-breaker in 2021, when the AL system put more students on the same score. MOE told Parliament in January 2025 that around 1 in 10 students go through balloting in a year. It also says that since 2021, more than 8 in 10 students were posted to one of their top three choices and more than 9 in 10 to one of their six choices.

Two rules sit before the tie-breakers:

• SAP schools. A child with a Pass, Merit or Distinction in Higher Chinese and a PSLE Score of 14 or better has a posting advantage at SAP schools. Among equal scores, the better Higher Chinese grade goes first. More in our SAP schools guide.
• Affiliation. Covered in the next section.

Sources: MOE, how posting works, MOE parliamentary reply, 4 Feb 2026 and MOE parliamentary reply, 8 Jan 2025.

How does affiliation priority work in S1 posting?

A child from an affiliated primary school gets priority at the affiliated secondary school only if that school is the first choice and the child meets any extra criteria the school sets. Admission still depends on PSLE Score and vacancies, and at least 20% of places in each Posting Group go to students without affiliation priority. MOE confirmed in September 2026 that this is staying.

At the eight dual-track schools, which offer both the Integrated Programme (IP) and the SEC, affiliation applies only to the SEC track. The IP and the SEC count as separate choices, so listing only the IP means the child is not considered for that school's SEC, and the reverse. IP schools admit through one Posting Group only and do not run Full SBB. Our IP schools list shows which schools offer it.

Sources: MOE, S1 Posting eligibilities and choices and MOE parliamentary reply, 9 Sep 2026.

How do cut-off points work for each Posting Group?

A school has a separate cut-off point for each Posting Group it admits. The cut-off point is the PSLE Score of the last student posted to that school through that group, once posting ends. So one school can show three numbers, and your child is compared only with the cut-off point of their own group.

For example, MOE's SchoolFinder shows Tampines Secondary School's 2025 PSLE score ranges as 13 to 19 for Posting Group 3, 21 to 24 for Posting Group 2 and 25 to 27 for Posting Group 1. Cut-off points move each year, usually by about 1 point, and meeting last year's figure does not guarantee a place.

We keep the full explanation in our PSLE cut-off points guide, and every school's ranges by Posting Group in our secondary school cut-off points 2026 list. MOE's advice in short: list schools in true order of preference, include 2 to 3 schools whose past cut-off is worse than your child's score, and use all 6 choices.

Where does DSA-Sec fit in S1 posting?

Direct School Admission (DSA-Sec) runs before S1 posting. Children apply to up to 3 schools in May and June, schools hold trials and interviews, and families rank offers in October. The DSA-Sec allocation result comes out with the PSLE result. A child who is allocated a school does not submit S1 choices at all.

A DSA place still needs the right Posting Group. The child must get a PSLE Score in a Posting Group the school admits. If a school takes only Posting Group 3, the child needs a score of 4 to 22, and at 21 or 22 must go through Group 3. An IP place through DSA needs 22 or better. A DSA child does not need to meet the school's cut-off point.

Children who were unsuccessful, or who withdrew, join S1 posting like everyone else and may list the same schools again if eligible. The whole process is in our DSA explainer. Sources: MOE, DSA-Sec and MOE, DSA results.

What are the S1 posting dates for the 2026 PSLE cohort?

MOE lists the 2026 PSLE results for Tuesday 24 or Wednesday 25 November 2026 at 11am, both tentative. School choices then run for 7 calendar days from 11.30am on results day, closing at 4.30pm. MOE lists the S1 posting results for Friday 18 December 2026, also tentative. Last year's posting results came out on Friday 19 December 2025 at 9am.

Sources: MOE, S1 Posting, MOE, national examinations dates, MOE, 2025 PSLE results and S1 posting, MOE, 2025 S1 posting results and MOE, school terms for 2027.

What if things do not go to plan?

Most worries have a set answer from MOE. A child who qualifies for no Posting Group can repeat the PSLE or apply to NorthLight School or Assumption Pathway School. A child not placed in any of their six choices is posted to a school with vacancies near the registered address. Appeals to change school are possible but limited.

• No Posting Group. This happens with a score of 31 or 32, or 26 to 30 with AL8 (or Foundation C) in English or Maths. The primary school advises on the options.
• Group 1 and want a smaller school. Crest Secondary School and Spectra Secondary School are specialised schools for students eligible for Posting Group 1. You can apply to them directly, or list them among your S1 choices. A child admitted directly is not posted elsewhere.
• None of the six choices. The child is posted after everyone else, to a school with vacancies near the registered address, which may not be close to home. Tell the primary school about any NRIC address change by the end of October.
• Appeal for medical reasons. Appeals for serious medical conditions or physical disabilities go through the posted school by 12pm on the working day after posting results, with outcomes by early January.
• Appeal for other reasons. You appeal directly to the preferred school. Your child must meet its cut-off point, and it must have vacancies. Outcomes may come only from mid-January, so your child reports to the posted school meanwhile.

Sources: MOE, shortlisting schools, MOE, appeal for school transfer and MOE, S1 Posting eligibilities and choices.

What changes for the 2027 PSLE cohort and later?

As of 7 Nov 2026, MOE has announced no change to the Posting Group score ranges, the 6 choices or the tie-breakers for the 2027 PSLE cohort, who enter Secondary 1 in 2028. What is changing is around the edges: Higher Mother Tongue now depends on the Mother Tongue result alone, the first SEC is sat in 2027, and MOE is consulting the public on how much weight the PSLE should carry in S1 posting.

MOE started its Education Conversations in April 2026 and said they would run through 2026 and into 2027. One listed topic is "moderating examination stakes, such as the use of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) for Secondary 1 posting". MOE has said it will share details when ready. Our guide to whether the PSLE is being removed tracks what has been said.

For the 2027 cohort, MOE and SEAB have not published dates yet. Based on the pattern, expect PSLE results in late November 2027 and S1 posting results in mid to late December 2027. Sources: MOE, Education Conversations, MOE, gifted education and MOE, Full SBB.

Key terms

• Posting Group: one of three bands, 1, 2 or 3, set by the PSLE Score and used to admit students to secondary school.
• PSLE Score: the sum of the four subject ALs, from 4 (best) to 32.
• Achievement Level (AL): the grade for each Standard subject, from AL1 (90 marks and above) to AL8 (below 20).
• Foundation grade: A, B or C for a Foundation subject, counted as AL6, AL7 and AL8 for posting.
• G1, G2 and G3: the three subject levels in secondary school, with G3 the most demanding.
• Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB): the system that replaced the Express, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) streams from the 2024 Secondary 1 cohort.
• S1 Option Form: the personalised form issued with the PSLE result for the S1 school choice step, alongside an Eligibility Letter.
• Cut-off point (COP): the PSLE Score of the last student posted to a school through a Posting Group.
• Tie-breakers: citizenship, choice order and computerised balloting, used in that order for equal scores.
• DSA-Sec: Direct School Admission, which offers secondary places before the PSLE based on talent.